Casino Commission leases fancy new digs from Kasich donors

While John Kasich continues to delay making decisions about Ohio’s new casinos, delaying billions of dollars in new development in Ohio, Kasich’s new casino commissioners (who are paid $60K/year to attend one meeting a month) have decided to sign an expensive lease on some swanky office space downtown.

According to the April 6th meeting minutes, the commissioners took on the most pressing issue of the month, the need for plush downtown office space. Apparently, state government is absolutely out of office space in the Central Ohio area because the commissioners were forced to sign a lease for 10,000 square feet of office space at the Class A One Columbus Center for just under $12,000 per month. They were excited because with this lease came the option to take over the entire floor and easily expand to 17,000 feet.

I did a little digging and it turns out that One Columbus Center is managed by CB Richard Ellis and, suprise!, their upper-level managers have given thousands of dollars to the Kasich campaign.

To be fair, the Casino commission does need a lot of space. They are planning to hire over 100 employees. And being close to downtown certainly helps. But this administration’s proclivity to provide preferential treatment to its campaign contributors and friends leads me to believe that the contributions made by Richard Ellis’ management paid off big this time in this case.

I should have thought they would have leased out by the airport so the commission members don’t have to rush to catch their flights back to the Cayman Islands. I suppose it does make sense to put it down town since it will be easier for Kasich to sell it when he privatizes the commission.

Anon

Looks like they have the best governement that their money can buy….here comes the payback. Open wide the trough is open for “Friends of Prince John”. All have to be overpaid since they may go back to the private sector.

How many ways can the radical R’s rob us? Looks like too many to count, and they want everyone else to be underpaid. Evil in America brought to us by people who didn’t vote and by people who were misled.

Let me know when the revolution starts so I can show up.

Ohio Lover

Kasich wants metal detectors in the Statehouse. CSRAB says it has everything it needs.

So now I wonder: which campaign contributor is selling the equipment or lobbies for one? Based on past exp. with our new Gov., who apparently can’t pass by the pig trough, one or the other has to be taking place.